Study Guide — Treasure Island
Chapter: “Narrative Continued by the Doctor: The Jolly-boat’s Last Trip”
Brief focus: Dr. Livesey narrates a high-stakes run to shore in an overloaded boat while the mutineers ready the long nine. Seamanship, leadership, and luck collide; the loyal crew reach land but lose much of their supplies.
Themes / Big Ideas
- Leadership, discipline, and cool heads under fire: Smollett’s seamanship, Trelawney’s composure, and Livesey’s steadiness model the book’s respect for competence over bravado.
- Nature as adversary and ally: The ebb-tide thwarts and then helps them, highlighting how the sea’s forces can decide human fates.
- Consequences of oversight: Forgetting the ship’s cannon (“the long nine”) puts the loyalists at grave risk, reinforcing the theme that vigilance matters.
- Order versus lawlessness: The loyal crew’s coordinated action contrasts with the pirates’ ruthless aggression—two forms of seafaring skill aimed at opposite ends.
- Chance and mischance: A single missed shot, a mistimed maneuver, and the boat’s sinking show how luck tilts outcomes in a world driven by risk.
- Loyalty and redemption: Gray’s acceptance into the group underscores the novel’s thread of choosing sides and earning trust.
- Sacrifice for survival: They save lives but lose stores and weapons—hard choices that echo throughout the island campaign.
Vocabulary
| Word | Part of Speech | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| gallipot | noun | A small jar (usually for ointments); used figuratively to mean a tiny, fragile boat. |
| gunwale | noun | The upper edge of a boat’s side. |
| ship (water) | verb | To take water into a boat. |
| ebb | noun | The outgoing tide. |
| leeward | adj./adv. | On or toward the side sheltered from the wind; downwind. |
| steerage way | noun | Enough forward motion for a boat to respond to the rudder. |
| broadside | noun | The side of a ship; also, a large target when viewed side-on. |
| long nine | noun | A long‑barreled nine‑pounder naval cannon used for long‑range fire. |
| tarpaulin | noun | Heavy, waterproof canvas used as a protective cover. |
| round-shot | noun | A solid iron cannonball. |
| swivel (mount) | noun | A pivoting support that lets a gun turn to aim. |
| rammer | noun | A rod used to push powder and shot down a gun or cannon barrel. |
| priming | noun | A small amount of powder used to ignite the main charge of a firearm. |
| gig | noun | A small, fast ship’s boat. |
| bandoleer (bandolier) | noun | A shoulder belt for cartridges; here, used as a sling for the musket. |
| fore-sheets | noun (pl.) | The forward seating/space in a small boat near the sail’s control lines (“sheets”). |
| bear up | verb phrase | To alter course as directed; here, to steer more toward the needed line to counter drift. |
| durst | verb (archaic) | Dared. |
| stockade | noun | A defensive enclosure made of upright timbers. |
| headers | noun (pl.) | Headfirst plunges into water. |
| ashore | adverb | On or to the shore. |
| reparation (figurative) | noun | Making amends; here, the tide “making up for” earlier harm by slowing the attackers. |
Quotes to Look For
- “All the same, we were afraid to breathe.” — Tension and the fragility of their situation.
- “In the second place, the ebb was now making…” — Nature’s force shaping events.
- “You must bear up, sir, if you please—bear up until you see you’re gaining.” — Smollett’s seamanship and leadership.
- “We had entirely forgotten the long nine…” — The cost of oversight and the threat of technology.
- “‘Israel was Flint’s gunner,’ said Gray hoarsely.” — The pirates’ deadly competence and Gray’s new loyalty.
- “At any risk, we put the boat’s head direct for the landing-place.” — Calculated risk in crisis.
- “We… offered a target like a barn door.” — How one maneuver creates a new danger.
- “Carpet bowls! My lady’s maid couldn’t miss.” — Smollett’s grim irony about the cannon’s accuracy.
- “The ebb-tide, which had so cruelly delayed us, was now making reparation…” — Nature as both hindrance and help.
- “The boat sank by the stern, quite gently, in three feet of water…” — A sudden reversal with almost comic calm.
- “So far there was no great harm… But there were all our stores at the bottom.” — The price of survival.
- “…we had all quietly made up our minds to treat him like one of ourselves.” — Trust and redemption for Gray.
- “…leaving behind us the poor jolly-boat and a good half of all our powder and provisions.” — Material loss that raises the stakes.